The tribute
by I'm Nova
Summary: Will Hikaru sacrifice herself for Cephiro? And will Lantis let it be? Please R&R. My first story so forgive me if I did something wrong. HxL pairing. A little lime. Complete now!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine. They are Clamp's. I just have fun playing with them.

Note: English is not my mother tongue. Italian is. And my translator work as drunk. So please forgive me for errors or incomprehensible phrases. And now…text.

The tribute

Hikaru woke up among Lantis' arms in the new Cephiro that she had desired. The new one, splendid Cephiro, built with the contribution of everybody. Yet there was a shade in her heart that morning. She had to go to Clef. And when he had asked her to come he was so accursedly serious that probabilities to have been invited for a tea were very scarce. She had kissed her dormant love and she was prepared for going out. Clef had welcomed her with a face even more serious of the last time. Some instant he had remained in silence, then he had asked her: "Hikaru... would you give your life for Cephiro? ". A question that had frightened her. "Why…? " "I beg you Hikaru, now answer me and enough… sincerely. Would you give your life for Cephiro? " What was Cephiro? It was Rafaga, Ascot, Ferio, Presea, Clef…Lantis. She had found again all of her strength. "Yes, Clef. Yes, I would do." "Then let me explain to you." Clef had sigh. "Cephiro is subdued to a… tribute. Every twenty thousand years, one some kinds of demon comes until here and… it devours the pillar. After that it returns from where it has come and it leaves the planet alone for the next twenty thousand years." No bad as unluckiness to be here just in this period, thought Hikaru. But she said: "And as magic knight I must… to eliminate this thing, correct? Also at the cost of the life… " But why has not it been done before? "Not really." These words froze her blood. "You see, the demon nourishes itself of the energy of the pillar's heart, which to protect Cephiro has always been ready to the sacrifice... and for that that I know, the magic knights are too much weak to make anything, in this case." "But now… " Hikaru started to understand… and she was afraid. "Now we don't have a pillar. What I fear is that the demon to feed is chosen to devour the whole planet." "No! " Hikaru had shouted. "Therefore, you see, simply we need a pillar… that is ready to sacrifice himself for Cephiro." "I am the pillar…″ she had murmured. "You are the nearest thing to a pillar whom we have in this moment" had confirmed Clef. "And when it should arrive this demon?" How much does it stays me? God… how much it stays me? "Tomorrow." "Tomorrow? Clef… what would have happened if I had said no? " "We would be dead, I imagine… But I swear you that it is the truth, Hikaru, I have there almost hoped in that no. It is not fair that touch always to you… " "But it is this way. We are not able to do nothing."

She had returned home racing. She was thrown among Lantis' arms. And she had bursted to cry. "What is there, my love? " He didn't tolerate seeing her this way. It hurt him too much. She tightened him, trembling. And she had said: "I am about to lose you." "Don't say nonsense! " he had exclaimed. She had told everything, between a hiccup and the other. It had been a long history. He didn't want to believe it. "It is not possible! " It could not be true. Hikaru was not pillar… not more. He loved her, he could love her. Didn't this mean that she was not anything? Why now did they want to set again her that assignment? Why did they want to _tear her to him_? Clef… At the end, what had found to say was: "You can't do it." You can't… I can't lose you. "Even if did it mean the end of Cephiro? " Hikaru was… confused. "Yes." He stayed Zagato's brother. And he had not never understood his brother as at that time. "It is not fair. You a re not the pillar anymore. And I won't allow that you do a madness as this. Won't I allow you it, have you heard me? Because I love you." I can't live without you. You can't ask me this. "I can't do other." Hikaru kept on crying. "I can't let Cephiro be destroyed." Was this what had said Emeraude summoning the magic knights? And then she had said: "I will lose you, tomorrow. But if indeed you love me, love me tonight. A last time…". And he had loved her. With the whole desperation that had in heart, that both had in heart. Still and still and still, without standstill, with those words that played again inside of them: "The last time". At the end Hikaru had fallen asleep among his arms. It was almost the dawn. That dawn that had to bring him her away. He could not allow it. He could not leave that she died. But what could he do? To bring her away… away from the planet. Before she woke up. To leave all to his shoulders. To leave that all was destroyed, also not to lose her. No… he could not do it. Hikaru would never have forgiven it to him, he knew this. But if she had remained she would be dead. He could not surrender to this. It had to be there a solution. A solution that he had not seen yet… suddenly, a possibility. It would have been able not to work, but he had at least to try. He had given her a kiss. The last kiss. It was the dawn.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Rayearth. Clamp do, the four Japanese goddesses (the Apapa sincerely admit having created the world).

N/A: I know, I update late, but sincerely I hoped for at least one rewiew. No one did, this story is no interesting for no one, but I received no flame, and this is ok. Who shut up he agree, as an Italian proverb say, so here is the second part of my story.

Lantis had gone to Clef. "Where is she? " "She is sleeping." "It is cruel, but you will do better to wake up her. The demon has arrived." It didn't appear a true demon, it was as a mountain that raised itself suddenly in the sky of Sephiro. "Clef… she won't do it." "She had said… " Clef was interdicted. Lantis had interrupted him: "That thing… it can have me, if it wants." And Clef had known that Hikaru didn't know anything. That was still ready to do it. She was now only so tired,… "You are not the pillar." Clef was severe. "Technically, Hikaru is even it. Not more. Doesn't Sephiro have a pillar anymore, Clef, or have you forgotten it ? " Lantis was hard. "I know it, but… " "Well, if nobody is it more, it means that everybody can be it. Even me." "She stays the strongest." "She is not here. Why you believe that is sacrificed, the other pillars? For love… love of Sephiro, love of her, what changes? This will give me the strength, Clef. All the enough strength to feed… that thing." And if also so it was not, I won't lose her. I won't be_ me_ to lose her. Lantis was really strong. Clef realized it sudden. He could leave him to try? Could he allow him it? "If you are determined... go. You see that burrow, that forwards itself in the abdomen of the mountain? At the end… ". Lantis had simply nodded. "Say her that I love her… " and he had run into his destiny.

Hikaru woke up suddenly. It was day. It was _the_ day. And her bed was empty. Lantis was not there, to look at her a last time. To give her strength to do what had to do. Lantis…Hikaru bursted to cry again. Can it be known _where_ he was, curse? Suddenly, a shiver in her heart. A pain. He couldn't… he could not have done… she was the pillar. She! Any other would have been able. Or yes? She had started to race, the heart in tumult. Do that he's not… God, do that he's not… he cannot have done it. He cannot have leaved me_ alone_. And you, what did you want to do? A voice inside of her. I wanted to save Sephiro! Her tears, those tears that since yesterday they didn't want to stop gushing out. Lantis is not so ambitious. What wants… it is to save you. "I won't allow you to do it." His voice inside her heart. That heart that kept on aching her so much. And she raced… She had to arrive to Clef. She had to face that demon. She owed… to stop him. To stop Lantis, if she was still in time. She had to be in time. She could not have him lost. She couldn't. Lantis… no!

Lantis was forwarded. That place was dark. That place was cruel. That place rejected him. The voice of the demon in his mind. "Where the pillar is? You are not the pillar. You are weak. And I am hungry." "Sorry for you, but some things are changed in the last twenty thousand years. And I am what you will have." The rocks who snapped at Lantis. Making him to bleed. He who continued to advance. At the end, had said Clef. And he at the end would have arrived. At the end of that burrow. At the end of his life. But he would have protected Sephiro. He would have protected her. She… a voice, suddenly. A cry, a complaint. "Lantiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis!" She was there. She was in front of that mountain. And she was calling him back. All of her love was calling him back. Lantis was slipping. Again the voice of the demon: "Here it is, the strength whom I need! " "You won't have her! " Lantis had shouted. "And won't have Sephiro! You won't have… other… than me." Lantis that clawed the rock, fighting for not surrendering. "Lantiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis! " It was so difficult to hear the whole pain in her voice and to go on, to leave her to his shoulders. But Lantis knew that if he had returned back would have been she, then, to advance herself for that path. That he would not have succeeded in stopping her. And he went on. The rocks that kept on hurting him, on crushing him. On torturing him. And the voice of the demon… "You are not enough. She is whom I need. Return back! " "You cannot have her! Have you heard me? You cannot have her… " The pain. That whole blinding pain. And still again: "Lantiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis! ". It is because I love you that I cannot return to you. Don't you understand it? I cannot leave that you face all this. I will go until the end. I have to succeed in being stronger. Stronger than all of your love. Stronger than you. Then I will finally succeed in satiating it. It will be ended. He had collapsed in knee instead. And he was felt to bring back. She was the strongest. Clef had told it. The demon told it. But he could not afford it. He could not surrender. Hikaru… enough. For pity, Hikaru, enough. Allow me to do what I owe. Allow me to protect you. How can you want that I return back… to lose you? I cannot lose you. I cannot lose you because I love you. He had succeeded in rising again himself. And he had restarted to go on. The rocks had bite again him. Lantis had forgotten the pain. And kept on continuing. To save her.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, you already know, they are Clamp's…just as I, because I'm Nova and finally I obtained my goal.

Imaginations Creation: Thank you very much, I'll keep on writing, hoping to get better, what I 'd not did without your words perhaps.

eViLiSdArKnEsS: if you haven't seen the second series of the anime/manga I hope you can soon do it, in that there are very sexy boys. If you did it…as you could forget Lantis? Wait, perhaps you were dazzled from Eagle Vision. If so is, I understand you.

All: forgive my bad English but you already know my translator. And now…the end of this story!!!

Hikaru was without breath after everything that to shout. She had grabbed on Clef. She needed so much a support. "You believe that he is…″ she had whispered him. "And you?" "No. Not yet. He has not died yet. I know it. But why doesn't he return to me? I need him. I cannot lose him. Why doesn't he come back? " "If he returned, what would you do?" Hikaru had blushed. "I…would kiss him, and I would tighten him, and I would look at him in that so dear eyes of his for…" she was interrupted. "For the last time?" Hikaru had nodded. "You would sacrifice yourself for Sephiro." She had nodded again. Clef had sigh. "Tells other words, you cannot lose him, but you are asking him to lose you." And he knows it, thought Hikaru, surprise. "It's different. I'm the pillar." "Technically speaking, Sephiro doesn't have a pillar anymore, Lantis is right. I have turned to you… because you were the strongest. Such a strong heart to satiate… well, you know it. This was what I thought. But I was perhaps wrong." "You have let him go. As you have been able?" "As did you want that I stopped him? Did you think indeed that he would have remained to look at you dying without doing nothing?" "No…" the answer was again so simple. She would not have had to fall asleep. This had allowed him to do that madness.

And suddenly: "I go, Clef." "Hikaru!" "I would have had to take a long time ago that path. I don't know what has held back me until now. I wanted to see him…out. I wanted that he was safe. At least he. But he won't go out. Oh, Clef, won't go out!" She had restarted to cry. "If he doesn't come to me, I have to be me to go to him. Is it natural, don't you see? I can't leave him alone there inside. I can't leave him to _die_ there inside. It seems a place so…so…" she had had a shiver. "You are right, you see, when you say that I can't ask him to lose me. But he can't even ask me it. Not even he. It isn't fair. We have to stay united. It's for this that he has taken that path. Because he knew that I would have crossed it. I was afraid, Clef, I was so much afraid…Lantis knew it. He felt it. He has not left that I went alone. I can't be afraid anymore now. Because it doesn't care what demon, what monster there is at the end of that path. There is Lantis to wait me there down. I go, Clef. Perhaps it's this that had to happen. There isn't a pillar anymore… therefore only a sacrifice isn't enough anymore. In two we will succeed in satiating it… perhaps. If it won't be so, if Sephiro'll be destroyed because, that day, I didn't want to be pillar… forgive me." She had set out.

She is arriving. Together, Lantis and the demon realized it. Lantis' despair. "No! Hikaru… no! Stop! You don't know…″ he had shouted. You don't know what torture there is in trap here inside. "You won't have her!" he had told the demon. And he had started racing toward that bottom in which he would have had to find it. He raced to the attack, leaving a wake of blood on his road. The demon had started. "You…are…strong." Lantis felt it now feed itself of him, he felt it absorb his vital energy, every step more. He kept on racing. He had to reach it. He had to stop it. Before it devoured also Hikaru, he had to stop it. He could not leave that she…Up to that he had not arrived to the end. There was nothing to fight. There was nobody. And he was dying. "Really a good meal. I didn't wait for it" had said the demon. "You'll save her?" "Why it's always this that worries you? Sure that I'll save her. I'll save the whole rest. As I have always done." Hikaru had arrived a step away from the entrance of the burrow, when this was closed. The mountain was lifting, abandoning Sephiro. For the next twenty thousand years. "Lantiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis! " He had felt her. And he had succeeded in coming into telepathic contact with her. A last time. "Farewell, my love." She had collapsed to earth sobbing. "He is… is… it's not fair! Oh, Lantis, it's not fair! As you have been able to leave me alone? As you have been able to leave me here ? This isn't my place. My place is with you! With you! Wherever you are! Alive… or dead…" She was turned to Clef: "Why… why that thing hasn't picked up also me? I'm the pillar. I was…" "It doesn't have anything to do with the pillar…Lantis had understood it. All the pillars are sacrificed for Sephiro…so that it was saved. For love of Sephiro, that was the only their allowed love. And he…" Clef was interrupted. "He, for me. For my love. To protect me from what seemed to be the destiny. Lantis…Oh, Clef, as can I live without him?" "Hikaru…" What he could tell her? "Lantis… Lantis… bring me with you. Lantis…"she kept on repeating. Clef had seen her close the eyes. Had she fainted? Perhaps it was good that she was not more present to her pain. But… it was more than this. She had followed him, wherever he was. Her heart was broken. How could she live without him? She couldn't. This was all. ″We have to stay united″…


End file.
